*** NCAA Football Preview - Hawaii Warriors ***
From The My Sportsbook
By Gregg Xenakes, College Football Staff Writer
2003 SEASON IN REVIEW: The Warriors were handed a rather easy one to start off the 2003 campaign as they topped Appalachian State at home by 23 points. But that only set the stage for tougher non-conference competition such as USC and UNLV, both of which resulted in road losses in the middle of September. Hawaii managed to bounce back though by winning seven of its next nine contests, including a 55-28 thumping of the Fresno State Bulldogs out on the island in October. Generally used to seeing a boatload of points on the scoreboard, the Warriors figured out a way to actually beat an opponent last year without having to run the offense at a furious pace, picking up a 13-10 win over hapless San Jose State on the road. It just proved that the Warriors didn't have to focus solely on the offense to get the job done, although, more often than not that seems to be there calling card. With eight wins in the regular season, Hawaii and head coach June Jones locked into the Hawaii Bowl once again, topping the Houston Cougars by a score of 54-48 in triple-overtime. Unfortunately, because of the deal that the Western Athletic Conference has made with the Hawaii Bowl, as long as the Warriors qualify for a postseason contest and they are not contending for anything that has the letters BCS in it, they are resigned to playing the additional game in their home state.
2004 ANALYSIS:
OFFENSE: When one thinks about the Hawaii program they think of one thing; offense and the oft-injured Timmy Chang. The senior is the all-time passing leader at the school with 12,814 yards in just three seasons, three campaigns in which he always had some sort of ailment slowing him down. Chang, who completed 58.7 percent of his attempts for 4,199 yards and 29 touchdowns, along with 20 interceptions last year, actually missed the first game of last season due to a suspension, so there's no telling how much closer he would be to breaking the all-time Division I-A passing mark (Ty Detmer of BYU holds the record with 2,217 more yards through the air). Clearly, as Chang goes, so do the Warriors, but expect Jones to make a switch at the position at any time. Back on May 4, 2004 senior running back West Keliikipi was suspended from the team. Luckily, after careful consideration, the UHAD decided to reinstate him three months later, ensuring that Chang has at least one option to turn to when a rare running play is called. Although some are just in their second years with the program, the Warriors have a countless number of starters on the offensive line coming back to protect Chang as he scrambles around in the pocket, including Brandon Eaton, Tala Esera, Derek Faavi, Jeremy Inferrera, Uriah Moenoa and Samson Satele. Downfield Hawaii will rely on Chad Owens and Britton Komine at the wideout positions to help get Chang to the record and the Warriors into a better bowl game. Last year Owens (first-team All-WAC) led the team in catches with 85, for 1,134 yards and nine touchdowns in just 11 games, while Komine played in 13 and had 53 receptions for 602 yards and five scores.
DEFENSE: One look at the scores for opposing teams the last few years and its quite clear that the Warriors often have trouble putting together a suitable, even serviceable defense. Part of that is because Jones spends so much time focusing on the offense and because Chang either puts the ball into the end zone quickly or turns the ball over, giving the unit little time to catch a breather on the sidelines. Nonetheless, the group is doomed to struggle even more this season with only three returning starters making it back. Linebacker Ikaika Curnan led the team in tackles last year with 121, of which 71 were solo, and was tied for the lead in tackles for loss with 11.5, which included four sacks for a loss of 24 yards. Curnan, now a junior, might be a bit undersized at just 5-11, but he has proven that he can pack a lot of punch when he meets the ball, and he'll have to since the ball will probably be getting to his area of the field even faster than usual since the team does not have a single defensive lineman starter coming back in 2004. Defensive back Abraham Elimimian tied for the team lead last season with four interceptions and was fifth on the squad in tackles with 78, making 59 of those unassisted. Elimimian can be a playmaker, but he will probably have to be a bit more conservative this time around. Junior safety Leonard Peters is the third and final returning starter for the Warriors, making 66 stops in 2003 and recording five pass break-ups.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Senior placekicker Justin Ayat is back in the fold for the Warriors after he knocked through 14-of-22 field goal attempts and led the team with 72 points last season. The punting duties will again fall to sophomore Kurt Milne having averaged close to 40 yards per kick in 2003. Coming on board to help out with the special teams at the beginning of August was the legendary Darrel "Mouse" Davis, often recognized as the "Father of the Run-and Shoot." The 71-year old actually coached Jones at Portland State University and the two have worked together several times over the years since then, so the addition should benefit the Warriors greatly.
OUTLOOK: Another subpar foe to get things started in 2004, a meeting with Florida Atlantic at home on September 4, should at least get the Warriors off on the right foot once again. After that the team goes straight into conference action two weeks later. The team benefits (as it always does) by playing no less than eight of its games in Hawaii, which means the competition can get thrown off by the long drive out to the island. The Warriors will have to travel to both Boise State and Fresno State this season however, which is probably why so many are expecting the group to finish no better than third in the WAC. Add to that a late home test versus Michigan State during the first week of December, and it appears that Hawaii will more than likely be home again for the holidays and another Hawaii Bowl whether they like it or not.
